11/22/07

Latest Rides

I have really been enjoying my Franklin Mountain Trail Rides with local bike group.  Although, I have had to take the last couple of weeks off due to my injured hand and Vern being in the hospital.  I do need to find better gloves since the rocky terrain seems to bruise my hands, even with the shocks.

History of my Bikes

My first ride since getting back into MTB I forgot my camera, but next time I will not forget.  We did go back out and took some pictures with a family hike.

I initially started to MTB about 7 years ago while stationed in Korea.  The Battalion XO of my unit was an avid road biker, but I preferred something a bit more sturdy since I managed to go through 3 road bikes as a teenager.  My first mountain bike was a hardtail 1995 Red Trek 750.  We did one particular long ride from Camp Carroll, Waegwan, to Camp Walker, Taegu.  Below is a picture of an 820, which was similar frame but different components.

That bike was traded in for a 2000 Silver Iron Horse Racing Series M7500 while I was stationed in Missouri.  I got this after feeling like my arms were going to fall off.  This bike had a front shock and I added a seat shock.  This bike will now be used by Vern or I will use it to pull the Caddie Chariot Trailer.

I have just acquired a 2007 Black Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp from the Crazy Cat Cyclery here in El Paso.  It seems to be my nature to modify whatever I get.  Modifications thus far:

1. Got Black Specialized Comp Mountain Biking clip-in shoes.  My Iron Horse used the "death before dismount" pedal straps.

2. Converted the current rims to Stands tubeless system and changed the tire to a Kendra Blue Groove Tubeless Tire due to the thorns from all the plants and cacti around here.  Although the Michelin DH Comp 32 Soft seems to be a better tire for the same price that I will go to when I wear these out.

1. Added a Cat Eye Micro Wireless Cyclocomputer (CC - MC100W) to track my time, odometer, and speed.

2. Added a Garmin GPSMap 60CSx GPS unit, with bike mount, 256 MB MicroSD card, and US Topo maps.  I will use this to keep myself from getting lost.

3. I added a couple LED lights for night riding.  One on the front to see and a blinking red one on the back so I do not get rear-ended.  They were pretty cheap, about $8 each.  The batteries for each cost $7.5 + tax to replace, lol.

Next upgrades I am considering:

1. Replace rim with tubeless rims.  This will shave a couple pounds from the bike but cost around $800.

2. Replace the bike computer with one that can track my heart rate also.

This is my first full suspension bike and I love it.  I can also turn off the shocks for commuting. 

The clip-in pedals will take some time to get used to.  I can clip-in faster than I could strap in with my Iron Horse but still have not mastered getting my foot out when I am about to fall.  It is the slow tipping over that is the one I have trouble with.  A crashing fall my foot automatically kicks out.

I also have to get used to the new shifters.  I end up accidentally hitting the shifters when I am going up or down hills for some reason.